I had the privilege of presenting at 2 financial conferences recently. The target audience was predominantly CFOs and leaders in the finance community. In my research, the number one time waster was – you guessed it – meetings. Here is a snap shot of the tools you can use to maximise your meetings. They are […]

At this point in the year, we are gobsmacked that it’s October and repeatedly tell ourselves how the year has flown. But when we create days that are memorable, they seem to stick longer in our mind and it feels like time slows down just a little bit. It is simple enough to make a […]

This equation comes from Chip Conley’s insightful book ‘Emotional Equations’. Chip believes that the product of what you don’t know (uncertainty) and what you can’t control (powerlessness) creates the emotional condition of anxiety, which is greater than the sum of its parts. Anxiety is an emotion, not a character defect. People with the greatest […]

I always know where my focus and head space is by the status of the wallpaper on my phone. Not quite what you were expecting to read right? So, a few months ago, I made myself a wallpaper with the word ‘Pause’. This was to remind myself to slow down, be mindful, not rush, not […]

I recently listened to the Tim Ferris Show podcast with his guest Caroline Paul, who is a fire fighter talking about Micro Bravery. I absolutely love this concept! We often set ourselves huge challenges and then feel so overwhelmed by them that we don’t know where to start and maybe put them off altogether. The […]

In our technologically driven world, we become more and more dependent on technology for everything. My go-to app for driving is Waze. Even if I know the route, I refer to it to view the quickest way by traffic flow, anything to scrape even those precious 5 minutes off the commute. Now have you ever […]

Welcome to 2018, it is amazing to be here. My overarching theme for 2017 which had a massive impact on my life is ‘What is the story we tell ourselves?’ So what is the story we tell ourselves? Often this story gets moulded from childhood by our parents and teachers on what we can, can’t, […]

And here we are… December. We have survived what Judy Klipin calls ‘Novemberitis’. When we have Novemberitis, we are neither here nor there, don’t know if we are coming or going, aren’t fully present or engaged. We are often tired, stressed and stretched.’ So well done for surviving this odd month. And finally – rest, […]

In my previous article on habits, I spoke about New York Times Best Selling Author, Gretchen Rubin. She has now developed ‘The Four Tendencies’ framework. In a nutshell, it distinguishes how people tend to respond to expectations: outer expectations (a deadline, a “request” from a sweetheart) and inner expectations (write a novel in your free […]

When you woke up this morning, what did you do first? Did you go to gym or check your email? What did you say to your kids on your way out the door? Which route did you drive to work? When you got to your desk, did you deal with email, chat with a colleague, […]

The most important 5 letter word that has emerged over and over in many different forms this last few weeks for me has been the simple word – PAUSE. As Peter Bregman, author of ‘Four Seconds’ says ‘The key to success in our fast-moving world is to pause for as few as four seconds – […]

The key to forming a new habit and making it stick is to take advantage of the 3-step neurological process that creates a habit. First, choose a cue, like leaving your running shoes by the door, then pick a reward — say, a piece of chocolate when you get home from the gym. Eventually, when […]

Earlier this year, Seth Godin released a masterful audiobook called Leap First: Creating Work That Matters. I recently listened to it and wanted to share some of his most inspirational words of wisdom about art, business and life in general. Believe me when I say that anyone will benefit from hearing this book. Art is […]

This is an amazing blog by marketing guru, Seth Godin for anyone who is in their own business or looking to take the plunge to start their new business. It is the new rules for marketing today… enjoy. ‘This, in two words, is the secret of the new marketing. Find ten people. Ten people who […]

Seth Godin, marketing guru and best selling author describes your brand as ‘the promise’ you make. What do people expect of you when they engage with you? Brands that keep their promises are consistent and trustworthy. From the minute you engage with your boss, colleagues, co-workers, customer, prospect or even with the person at the […]

In a mentoring discussion with an entrepreneur, Laura admitted she felt uncomfortable charging people for her services. She works with expecting moms from pregnancy to post birth focusing on how to prepare them for this new journey. It is very time consuming and demanding both physically and emotionally. Laura also confessed how despite her training, […]

There is no question that your ability to communicate confidently and authoritatively is critical to your career success. Presentations are amongst your most important opportunities to make an impression, to stand out and enhance your personal brand. It’s not simply another boring meeting. Get over thinking of presentations as burdens. Just by thinking about them […]

With Winter looming around the corner, our natural tendency is to start focusing on the more negative things such as the cold and dark mornings especially if you’re an early riser. Here are some tried and tested steps I incorporate into my daily routine to stay focused on the positive: Choose your thoughts The first […]

“You are what you repeatedly do, then achievement isn’t an action you take but a habit you forge into your life. You don’t have to seek out success. Harness the power of selected discipline to build the right habit, and extraordinary results will find you” – Gary Keller, The One Thing. Here is a great […]

I started going to a gym when I was 13; I am now almost 36. I think this gives me my 10 000 hours of mastery according to Malcolm Gladwell. Here are some unexpected lessons I’ve learnt at the gym that can be applied to the real world: Own your headspace: Get your attitude about […]

If there’s something you want, something you really want, such as a raise, a bigger opportunity, more responsibility, a chance to prove yourself, constructive feedback, or even a little extra help around the house, do you ask for it? Many of us don’t. Many of us live with self-limiting beliefs or we repeat disempowering stories […]

When things don’t go your way, “looking on the bright side” is a real test of your ability to show gratitude. No one is perfect at showing gratitude at first, but here’s an idea that can help that I learned from Tim Ferriss, author of Tools of Titan and The Four Hour Work Week. He […]

December is that time of year when we start getting ready to put the old behind us and start preparing for the new. It’s a time of shifting away from old and unhealthy patterns and creating space for newer, healthier practices. Use this month to start embracing these time boosting habits as part of your […]

One of the biggest complaints we hear from women in our workshops around the world is that they don’t have enough time to be everything they need to be. Every New Year starts with lofty aspirations and the best of intentions, only to careen into another yearend, leaving a tattered trail of unfinished goals and […]

There is no question that your ability to communicate confidently and authoritatively is critical to your career success. Presentations are amongst your most important opportunities to make an impression, to stand out and enhance your personal brand. It’s not simply another boring meeting. Get over thinking of presentations as burdens. Just by thinking about them […]

‘People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures’ – F.M Alexander This is the foundation of success on which success is built – whatever that means to you. I was inspired by an article I came across on Forbes.com that beautifully illustrates that no matter how much […]

Forget what people say about ‘vanity searching’ or ‘ego surfing’, to google yourself is neither about vanity nor ego. If you’re serious about your professional presence, about owning your space in the virtual world as much as you are about owning it in the physical world, googling yourself is an absolute necessity. Whether you like […]

As women, as leaders, professionals, mothers, and wives, in all the roles we play as human beings, we need to finally get it through our heads that there really is no such thing as perfect. ‘Perfect’ is not only a total myth, it’s a deeply destructive and limiting myth. There is immense satisfaction when we […]

My son and I visited a friend of mine in a clinic recently. We were sitting outdoors in a communal garden area, where we met a gentleman who had recently had a traumatic and nearly fatal motorcycle accident. As a result, his nose had to be reconstructed. If you can picture it, he literally had […]

Do you attend events regularly? Or do you plan on going to an event in future? Then this blog post is for you. I have organised many events and I have also been a guest at many events. This double role means that I understand not only what goes into planning an event, but also […]

Take a moment and think back to the last time you did or said something out of anger or frustration. Something that, on reflection, you wish you hadn’t done. Recently, I was meeting a charity organization to assist them with a fundraiser. It took me a long time to get there due to traffic, rain […]

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend of mine who was at a launch event of a prominent artist. She was completely star struck and eventually plucked up the courage to go and greet him, well that was after her friend forced her and did the introductions on her behalf. She nervously greeted him […]

Many of us believe that it is our accomplishments that will help us to succeed. And that is partially true. Having a track record of good work is an important factor that certainly contributes to your advancement. But projecting a sense of confidence is crucial, as well. In order to do that, you need to […]

Women make up almost half of today’s labour force, but in corporate America they don’t share half of the power. Only four of the Fortune 500 company CEOs are women, and it’s only been in the last few years that even half of the Fortune 500 companies have more than one female officer. A major […]

Best known for creating CD Baby, the most popular music site for independent artists, founder Derek Sivers chronicles his “accidental” success and failures into this concise and inspiring book on how to create a multi-million dollar company by following your passion. In Anything You Want, Sivers details his journey and the lessons learned along the […]

Whether you’re an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, The 4-Hour Workweek is the compass for a new and revolutionary world. Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan—there is no need to wait and every reason not to. Whether your dream is escaping the rat […]

Tonight is the night, we announce the winner of our 2015 ELLE Boss Award in partnership with the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award. The award ceremony will take place at the Tsogo Sun at Hyde Park Corner in Joburg, and aims to celebrate women in business from both corporate and entrepreneurial categories. Here, we get […]

Who has time to think about goal setting when there are hilarious cat videos to be watched? Sure, we’ve all lost entire afternoons in the YouTube vortex, but too much procrastination leads to guilt. Shouldn’t you really be painting your kitchen/calling your parents/writing a novel? In fact, Women’s Health readers cited lack of time as one of their top reasons for feeling stressed. But experts […]

Lori Milner calls on the women of Joburg to indulge in some “me time” You’re a wife, a mother, a sister, a girlfriend, a colleague, a boss or all of the above. The title that most often gets neglected in your long lists of identities, however, is just being yourself, and it’s exactly that sorely […]

For some women, getting married is about the white dress, flowers and cake. But what about the next day, the next week, the lifetime together? Owner of Mobi Warehouse, a leading provider of prepaid airtime to corporate employees, Lori Milner was excited about her wedding day in April 2009. But after tying the know, she […]

Sexy, effortless style is synonymous with our continental sisters, writes HELEN GRANGE. And it has less to do with fashion or beauty than it does an innate sense of self FRENCH women, common wisdom has it, have a certain je ne sais quoi, that indefinable something. But we do know it hints not at the […]